IN JERDON OR STRAY FEATHERS. 421 



761 te?\— Melanocorypha bimaculata, Menet. 



Dimensions. — (The males are larger than the females). 

 Length, 7*06 to 8 ; expanse, 13-13 to 15*25; wing, 4-2 to 48 ; 

 the second primary is the longest, the first is sub-equal to 0*2 

 shorter ; the third is from 0*13 to 03 shorter ; and the fourth from 

 0-5 to 07 shorter; tail from vent from 2*12 to 2"4 ; tarsus, 1 

 to l'l ; bill, straight from forehead to point, 0*6 to 0*7 ; from 

 gape, 0'7 to 0'9 ; height at front, 0"2 to 0*25 ; the closed wings 

 fall short of end of tail by from 0-38 to 0*87. Weight from 

 1-25 oz. to 2-13 oz. 



Description. — Legs and feet fleshy or yellowish fleshy, 

 more or less dusky at joints ; claws dusky ; irides brown, in 

 some light brown ; bill horny brown, or blackish horny on 

 upper mandible; lower mandible greenish horny, changing to 

 yellow at base and gape. — Hume, " La/wre to Yarhand." 



Adult Male in Summer Plumage. — Above fulvous brown, the 

 centres of the plumes much darker brown, giving a somewhat 

 mottled appearance, all the feathers being edged with fulvous, 

 especially on the hinder part of the neck and centre of the back ; 

 wing-coverts coloured like the back, but a little more rufous ; 

 plaiuly edged with fulvous, less distinct on the greater coverts; 

 quills brown, with a slight shade of ashy grey on the outer 

 webs ; all the feathers more or less narrowly edged with fulvous, 

 but none of the feathers tipped with white ; tail dark brown, 

 with conspicuous white tips to all the feathers, except the two 

 central oues ; all the rectrices edged more or less broadly with 

 fulvous ; lores and a distinct eyebrow whitish ; cheeks fulvous- 

 white, with a slight mottling of rufous ; ear-coverts entirely 

 rufous ; throat white ; rest of the under surface dull white, the 

 upper part of the breast and flanks rufous ; a pectoral gorget 

 black, extending right across the lower part of the throat ; on the 

 upper part of the breast are a few indistinct mottled lines below 

 the black gorget ; under tail-coverts whitish ; under wing- 

 coverts entirely greyish brown ; bill horn brown ; the under 

 mandible yellowish ; feet fleshy yellow ; iris dark brown. 



Observations. — Some specimens are much greyer than 

 others ; others again are more rufous ; some are more white on 

 the belly, and have the breast much obscured, so that the pectoral 

 gorget is scarcely discernible. This last dress seems to be the 

 winter plumage. 



Young. — Similar to the adult, but more rufous in the centre 

 of the back ; the gorget more obscure, and the stripes on the 

 upper breast more indistinct ; the bill likewise seoras to be 

 more yellow.-— Sharpe and Dresser, " Birds of Europe." 



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